developing stories as we come on the air. the economy tonight. the blockbuster new jobs report, surpassing expectations. the stock market tonight setting

another all-time high. also tonight, after hurricane helene, another system now set to bring nearly a foot of rain to some parts. we'll have the new forecast. and what dolly parton has done tonight amid the devastation. first tonight, the economy and the blowout jobs report, crushing expectations, wages going up. and the new stock market high tonight. vice president kamala harris on the trail, fueled by the economic news. president biden surprising reporters in the briefing room. and what former president trump said today when asked about the improving economic picture. tonight, the painstaking search for the missing. families not giving up hope after hurricane helene. more than 220 lives lost now. and tonight, we have learned about the heartbreaking death of twin babies and their mother. vice president harris in north carolina tomorrow. amid all of this tonight, we're now tracking yet another new threat in the gulf at this hour. nearly a foot of rain could be coming. meteorologist cecily tynan is here to time this out. tonight, the u.s. launching

military strikes on militants in yemen, as iran's supreme leader now issues a dire warning to israel. back in the u.s. tonight, one of the most notorious murder trials in u.s. history. what we've learned tonight about the d.a.'s decision to review the case of lyle and erik menendez. could they go free? tonight here, the midair confrontation on board an american airlines flight. passengers rushing to help a woman. the new images tonight. the effort to save the elephants from the floods. and the remarkable moment in a walmart parking lot. what dolly parton has done tonight. dolly and the everyday heroes helping in the storm zone. our "persons of the week." >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight" with david muir. >> david: good evening, and it's great to have you with us. we have made it to friday. we have a lot to get to tonight.

the devastation after hurricane helene. we're watching another system that could bring up to another foot of rain. meteorologist cecily tynan is here. and what dolly parton has done in the storm zone tonight. the whole effort remarkable. but we begin tonight with the economy and the blockbuster new jobs report. the new numbers blowing past expectations. the stock market tonight hitting a new all-time record. 254,000 new jobs created in september. unemployment now falling to 4.1%. the july and august jobs numbers also revised up by 72,000 new jobs. vice president kamala harris celebrating with union workers today in the key battleground state of michigan, fueled by the economic news in these final 32 days of the campaign. former president trump visiting the storm zone in battleground georgia. how he responded when asked about the encouraging jobs numbers. abc's rachel scott leading us off from the battleground of georgia tonight. >> reporter: with 32 days until the election and the economy the number one issue, tonight, the new jobs report beating expectations. the stock market gaining over 300 points, closing at another record high late today. americans' 401(k)s are growing with the market hitting dozens

of record highs this year. all of this coupled with the news that inflation is slowing and the fed is lowering rates. vice president kamala harris in front of union workers in battleground michigan, making the case she will be the president for american workers. >> donald trump's track record is a disaster for working people. and he's trying to gaslight people all over our country. but we know the facts, and we know the truth. he is an existential threat to america's labor movement. >> reporter: harris fueled by the economic news and the development overnight, the biden administration working to end the dockworkers strike that could have raised prices for american families in the coming weeks. tonight, that crisis also averted. >> hey, folks. >> reporter: in a rare moment, president biden surprising reporters in the briefing room, taking a victory lap on an improving economy. >> once again, outside experts were wrong. inflation has come down. wages have gone up faster than prices. interest rates are down. >> reporter: the new blockbuster jobs report showing

stronger-than-expected hiring across the u.s. economy. restaurants, health care, state and local governments, and construction, adding tens of thousands of workers with wages going up, too. the unemployment rate ticking down to 4.1%. economists say another very encouraging sign. i asked trump today about the state of the economy. jobs are up, the stock market hit that all-time high. do you acknowledge that the economy is improving? >> no, it's not. it's -- inflation is -- devastated our economy. it's one of the big problems we have. >> reporter: the former president back in the battleground state of georgia. this time side by side with republican governor brian kemp, who he once attacked for refusing to help him overturn the results of the 2020 election in georgia. their first public appearance together in four years. tonight, president biden was pressed if he's concerned about whether this election will be peaceful. >> do you have confidence that it will be a free and fair election and that it will be peaceful? >> two separate questions. i'm confident it will be free

and fair. i don't know whether it will be peaceful. the things that trump has said and the things that he said last time out when he didn't like the outcome of the election were very dangerous. if you notice -- i noticed -- that the vice presidential republican candidate did not say he'd accept the outcome of the election. hasn't accepted the outcome of the last election. so i -- i'm concerned about what they're going to do. >> reporter: today, donald trump said he could only hope that this election would be free and fair. he would not answer if he believes it would remain peaceful. tomorrow, the former president heads to butler, pennsylvania, that exact rally location where there was an attempt on his life nearly three months ago. as for the harris campaign, next week former president barack obama gets out on the campaign trail for vice president kamala harris. he'll be doing a blitz through the battleground states starting in all-important pennsylvania. david? >> david: rachel scott leading us off on a friday night. rachel, thank you. meanwhile tonight, the painstaking and desperate effort to find the missing continues after hurricane helene and the storm that followed.

tonight, at least 220 confirmed deaths now, hundreds still unaccounted for. new images still emerging tonight. the destructive floodwaters, tractor-trailers tumbling in the rushing waters in swannanoa, north carolina. the moment one of those trailers is wrapped around a pole right there. tonight here, the stark satellite images. this is the chimney rock country fair, they call it, a colorful amusement park. this is before the storm. tonight, look at this. nothing is left. the road is completely gone. the fair's website says "permanently closed." abc's morgan norwood from north carolina again tonight. >> reporter: tonight, recovery from helene's devastating destruction entering its second week. >> almost up to my knees. this is nuts. i ain't never seen something like this. >> reporter: the search for survivors exhausting but everyone holding out hope. >> we know these are hard times, but please know we're coming. we're coming to get you. >> reporter: when rescue crews

clear a property, they mark it with an "x." the zero means no one was found inside. as of this morning there are still hundreds missing here in buncombe county. the north carolina national guard says their chopper teams and rescue crews have rescued more than 530 people and more than 100 pets, but so many areas still inaccessible. this drone video showing a department of transportation crew trying to carve a path into the town of chimney rock. here's what the area looked like before, and now. >> so we were just kind of holed behind that chimney there. >> reporter: in swannanoa, we met john zara. he and his family were rescued by a kayak from the roof of their home. he says he nor any of his neighbors have flood insurance. >> this is just not the kind of thing you see in asheville. so, you know, we've already been denied that coverage, and we're working with fema to, you know, see whatever they're going to be able to do. >> reporter: helene's destruction could have far-reaching consequences. hospitals across the country facing possible shortages of iv fluids after one of the largest

plants in the country was badly damaged. the plant producing 1.5 million bags of iv fluid a day. and sadly tonight, we are learning about the youngest victims of helene -- khyzier and khazmir williams, twins just 6 weeks old, died alongside their mother, kobe, hunkered in their trailer in thomson, georgia. and david, a bit of good news late today. buncombe county officials now giving an update on the missing, saying 75 people remain unaccounted for tonight. that is down from just about 200. vice president kamala harris set to visit western north carolina tomorrow. david? >> david: really moving and important work from you, morgan, and the team there in north carolina all week, thank you. by the way, we'll get to what dolly parton has done in the storm zone in just a bit here, it is incredible. as millions try to recover, we are watching another new system in the gulf tonight. a developing storm set to hammer florida with nearly a foot of rain. let's get right to chief meteorologist cecily tynan from our philadelphia station wpvi back with us tonight. cecily, good to have you.

>> good evening, david. all eyes are on disturbance in the gulf that now has a medium chance of becoming our next named tropical storm. even if it doesn't get a name, this system is going to bring flooding rains to florida through much of next week. some areas could get up to 10 inches of rain. right now, it looks like the heaviest rain will fall south of those areas affected by helene. east coast of florida, rip currents are going to be a problem right through the weekend. the reason why, major hurricane kirk, it's a category 4 hurricane. this system is more than 2,000 miles offshore, but it's big, it's powerful, it's really churning up the atlantic. now, out west, the october heat wave continues. another day of record heat for many cities, including denver coming off its hottest september on record. this heat continues well into next week. david? >> david: cecily tynan of wpvi. cecily, thank you. overseas tonight, the u.s. launching strikes on iran-backed yemeni rebels and a dire new warning to israel. here's our chief foreign correspondent ian pannell from beirut tonight.

>> reporter: tonight, as fears grow of a wider war in the middle east, explosions rocking the capital of yemen. u.s. forces attacking iran-backed houthi rebels across the country. the pentagon saying the u.s. navy targeted 15 houthi military sites in an effort to make international waters safer after the houthis started targeting ships, claiming solidarity with the palestinians in gaza. this video showing a massive blast on an oil tanker. it comes as iran's supreme leader warned israel "will not survive." a gun at his side, ayatollah khamenei speaking publicly for the first time in nearly five years, praising iran's unprecedented missile attack on israel, calling it the "minimum punishment" for israel's crimes. and tonight, with israel vowing a painful retaliation against iran, israeli forces bombing beirut.

abc news has learned that the idf targeted hashem safieddine, a possible successor to assassinated hezbollah leader hassan nasrallah. no word tonight if safieddine was killed. civilians, though, caught in the crossfire. >> it's very hard. >> reporter: american lebanese citizen samer bawab, evacuated on a flight to istanbul. plumes of smoke visible at the airport. >> many people are waiting at the airport all day just so they can get their grandparents out, their mom out, or their daughters out. it's -- it's completely tragic. >> reporter: david, as israel plans its next move, oil prices have surged in recent days amid reports it may strike iranian oil production. that could impact gas prices. president biden today said israel should consider "other alternatives" to hitting iran's oil fields. david? >> david: ian pannell in beirut all week for us. ian, thank you. meantime, back here in new york tonight, governor kathy hochul says state police will be deployed to synagogues after multiple bomb threats. the threats so far found to be

not credible, but new york city remains on high alert tonight amid the jewish high holy days and with monday's anniversary of the october 7th terror attacks in israel. the fbi and homeland security have warned the anniversary could motivate extremists. now to the major turn tonight. all these years later, one of the most notorious murder trials in u.s. history. the menendez brothers sentenced to life without parole for murdering their parents. now the los angeles d.a. says he's reviewing new evidence, so could the menendez brothers go free? terry moran covered the case years ago. he's back on the story tonight. >> reporter: tonight, will the menendez brothers go free? >> we have a moral and an ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us. >> reporter: after more than three decades behind bars, there is now a glimmer of hope for lyle and erik menendez, who are serving life in prison without parole for the brutal killings of their parents in 1989. the los angeles district attorney has announced that he will review their case after lawyers for the brothers came

forward with new evidence that they say corroborates the brothers' claim that they were sexually abused by their father, the crucial issue in the case. >> what's the problem? >> someone killed my parents. >> reporter: it was a crime that was both shocking and salacious. the televised trial that captured the nation's attention, and now it's once again a cultural phenomenon popularized by a new and controversial netflix series. >> i'm just a normal kid. >> oh, erik, you're a normal kid who killed your parents. >> i know. >> my dad. >> reporter: the two young men both testifying they believed it was either kill or be killed, >> they were planning to kill us. >> reporter: that they had been sexually abused behind the doors of their beverly hills mansion by their domineering father, and that they were convinced their parents would kill them if they revealed the family secret. >> he would fondle me. >> my dad had been molesting me. >> reporter: now prosecutors are reviewing this letter, sent by erik to a cousin in the months before the murders. he writes, "i've been trying to avoid dad. it's still happening.

every night i stay up thinking he might come in." the d.a. is also investigating the claims of a former singer in the boy band menudo, who alleges that the brothers' father, the powerful record executive jose menendez, abused him too. the judge who ultimately sentenced the brothers did not allow evidence of their alleged abuse to be heard at trial. their supporters say they've served their time, more than three decades behind bars, and that the case, and the life sentences, look very different today. >> fast forward 35 years later, we've got a much more robust and evolved understanding of abuse that, yes, abuse can occur both with females and with males. >> reporter: 24 members of the menendez family, including siblings of their father and mother, are asking that they be freed. and it goes way beyond that. from viral movements on social media to kim kardashian, who has visited the brothers in prison and who is also calling for their release. david? >> david: terry moran with us here tonight. terry, thank you as always.

when we come back tonight, the midair confrontation on board an american airlines flight. passengers rushing to help a woman. also, the effort to save the elephants from the floods. the remarkable images of the elephants tonight. later here, what dolly parton has now done right here at home. ♪ when your child has moderate-to-severe eczema, it's okay to for them to show off. show off their clearer skin and noticeably less itch with dupixent. because children 6 months and older with eczema have plenty of reasons to show off their skin. with dupixent, the #1 prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, they can stay ahead of their eczema. it helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema to help heal your child's skin from within. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain,

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trump is not fit to be president again. here's his vice president: "anyone who puts himself over the constitution should never be president of the united states." "i cannot in good conscience endorse donald trump this year." his defense secretary: "do you think trump can be trusted with the nation's secrets ever again?" "no. i mean, it's just irresponsible action that places our service members at risk, places our nation's security at risk." his national security advisor: "donald trump will cause a lot of damage." "the only thing he cares about is donald trump." and the nation's former highest ranking military officer: "we don't take an oath to a king or queen. or to a tyrant or a dictator. and we don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator." take it from the people who knew him best: donald trump is too big a risk for america. i'm kamala harris and i approve this message. using these type of cleansers could be damaging and stripping your skin. i use new olay cleansing melts every day.

just soak, activate and wash. to clean, tone and refresh. that's a 3x better clean. olay. >> david: finally tonight, the >> david: finally tonight, the everyday heroes. and someone you'll know, dolly parton, and what they've all done. our "persons of the week." tonight, in the aftermath of hurricane helene, there remains so much need. this evening, so many are answering the call to help. they're called the happy helicopters tour company in neighboring greenville, south carolina, and they're using their own helicopters to fly in desperately needed supplies. >> we're trying to fit everything we can in our little helicopter here. >> david: so many families hearing about the effort, dropping off donations. water, diapers, food.

then the volunteer pilots flying into the regions in need. families also loading up trucks, driving supplies across state lines. tonight here -- >> hi, david. >> david: happy helicopters owner isaiah birch and his family, proud of all of the people who are pitching in. >> everybody in the community is giving, even people that don't have anything, that are running low themselves. the power is still out in a lot of the area here. people are just giving what they have without having enough. >> david: and just across town -- >> hi, david. come on in. >> david: dana lee marquez and her restaurant kamal 864 serving up free meals to their community for five days straight now. >> the first day, we fed 350 people. the second day, 200. third day about 300. yesterday was 450 people. me and my team, we cannot let people go hungry. and it won't happen here. >> david: in greensboro, north carolina, tonight the nonprofit feed the hunger handing out

meals and supplies. the food bank of central and eastern north carolina supporting the food banks of hard-hit western north carolina. in durham, the sign "donation dropoff." families showing up, their trucks full of donations. tonight, the everyday heroes doing what they can. and so is someone else. dolly parton in a walmart parking lot with her own donation and her song. >> today, i wanted to announce that from myself personally, just from my own bank account, i'm donating $1 million today. >> david: tonight, dolly using her music to help heal. >> well, i've been like everybody else, trying to absorb everything going on, trying to figure out all the best ways to do this. because then we had that crazy old helene. ♪ helene helene helene helene ♪ ♪ you came in here and broke us all apart ♪ ♪ helene helene helene helene ♪

♪ but we're all here to mend these broken hearts ♪ and that's what i'm doing here. >> david: so true. so we choose dolly and all those volunteers answering the call. i'll see you monday. good night. i'm meteorologist sandhya patel. i'll have the very latest from the fire lines. plus a look at the weekend heat wave that is bringing warnings coming up. >> we have a much better understanding today of the condition of our farm labor

housing on the farms than we did before that shooting. >> new at six. the i-team exposes deplorable housing conditions in half moon bay. >> plus new technology is giving us a fresh look at history. new images of a world war two ship that's sitting on the ocean floor right off california's coast. >> from abc seven live breaking news. >> and that breaking news. a wildfire that's burning buildings and triggering evacuations near clear lake. it started just before noon today and has burned more than 400 acres with multiple active spot fires. cal fire has many crews, resources and several aircraft responding as winds pick up into the evening. they say the fire is behaving erratically. it's in the glen haven area of lake county and spreading toward clearlake oaks, with zero containment. this map, you see, shows evacuation orders in red and evacuation warnings in yellow. cal fire crews are worried about homes near highway